The 16-year-old Kingston High School (KHS) student involved in the attack on a fellow student last May pleaded guilty to felony assault in the second degree on Wednesday, April 17 as part of a plea deal that will see him serve time in a youth detention facility.
The student, who was 15 at the time of the incident, accepted a plea from the Ulster County District Attorney’s office admitting he took part in the assault in the KHS cafeteria that fractured the victim’s skull causing bleeding on the brain. The 16-year-old was captured on smartphone footage kicking the then-15-year-old victim in the head, while fellow student Ty’Juan Gray was seen jumping off a cafeteria table onto the victim’s head. The incident lasted approximately 18 seconds before being broken up by Kingston High School security.
According to authorities, the victim sustained a skull fracture, and trauma and bleeding on the brain, and underwent an emergency procedure at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla to remove part of his skull to relieve pressure on the brain. He has since been released from the hospital, and according to officials has no memory of his attack.
The unnamed 16-year-old and Gray were each initially charged with one count of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault. In October of last year, Gray pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in court last week as part of a plea deal that will see him serve the maximum of seven years in state prison. Gray was initially set to plead guilty to second-degree assault in exchange for a three-year jail sentence, but Ulster County Judge Bryan Rounds rejected the deal, saying he evidence against the 17-year old was severe enough that he would instead offer a deal of seven years, the maximum allowable.
The 16-year-old, represented by Attorney Cappy Weiner, appeared before Rounds on Wednesday, April 17, where a deal was struck to have him plead to second-degree assault. Under the plea agreement, the 16-year-old will spend between one-and-1/3 to four years in a youth detention facility, and will also have an order of protection issued by request of the victim’s family. Rounds allowed for sentencing to occur on Monday, July 1 to allow for the student to complete the current semester of school. The victim’s mother is planning to speak at the sentencing.
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